The Neoplatonist Roots of Sufi Philosophy
Neoplatonism strongly influenced the development of Sufism. Neoplatonism, as developed by Plotinus conceives God to be the source and goal of everything. Islam qua institution is closed to all critical and philosophical thought, but Sufism enjoys a more liberal and critical approach. It is probable that the translations of Plotinus have provided the necessary philosophical ground for Sufism. An examination of both Sufism and Neoplatonism reveals close similarities with regard to the nature of God, the soul, the body, concepts such as goodness, evil and beauty, death and life, and creation.
Islamic thought was influenced by Greek philosophy, especially the ideas of Aristotle and Plato. Sufism is a sect of Islam which has rather a different way of thought. "Sufi" is applied to Muslim mystics who, as a means of achieving union with Allah, adopted ascetic practices including wearing a garment made of coarse wool called "sf". The term "sufism" comes from "sf" meaning the person, who wears "sf". But in the course of time, sufi has come to designate all Muslim believers in mystic union.
In the roots of sufi philosophy there are influences other than neoplatonist philosophy. Ascetic practices within the sufi philosophy are associated with Buddhism. The notion of purification (cleaning one' s soul from all evil things and trying to reach Nirvana and to become immortal in Nirvana) plays an important role in Buddhism. The same idea shows itself in the belief of "vuslat" (communion with God) in Sufi philosophy.
Sufism was also influenced by Orpheus and related beliefs, and consequently by Pythagoras and his teachings, because Pythagoras was closely interested in Orpheus beliefs. Orpheus was a poet who lived in Anatolia in the 6th and 7th centuries BC. He was believed to have divine characteristics such as being able to influence wild animals with his music. He believed that the human soul can reach the highest level only by refining itself from all passions and worldly possessions. Soul travels from body to body in order to purify itself from its sins, disabilities, and guilts, and only after passing all these levels can it reach to its highest level, to its exalted spot. Pythagoras adopted Orpheus beliefs about soul, and integrated it with his own ideas. Later, the Neopythagoreans regarded Pythagoras as the source of divinely revealed knowledge. They accepted as truth whatever appealed to them in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics
The two most polarizing and influential religious figures of time, Jesus Christ and Muhammad, have been considered to be two people who, at two different times, attempted to bring messages that would change the landscape of the spirituality of the world and gain followings from the masses. Timothy George shows the two for being responsible for creating two of the three historical religions in the world, with both descended from the third, Judaism, in his article in Christianity Today. While both may have lived a parallel path for some parts and shared a similar message amongst a few issues, they severely disagreed in their teachings on others, and encountered different events in their life span, especially towards the end. From their lives’, to their actions, and to their teachings, this paper will examine the similarities and differences in the two great “teachers” of the religious movements of the Anno Domini age, and how vastly contrasting the two truly were at the core of their leadership and values. The heart of Islam and Christianity, examined to the core of their founders.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is the story of the narrator and his decision and act to kill an old man with whom he lived. The narrator and the old man are never named throughout the story, neither are any supporting character such as the neighbors or the policemen. This aspect of the story gives the characters anonymity and takes the reader into the story, even calling them out at various points throughout. The narrator in this story is not given a history or even a description. His actions and thoughts through the story, lead the reader to believe that he is partially, if not wholly, insane. The recurring elements that lead to this conclusion are the narrator’s overwhelming paranoia, his fixation with the old man’s eye, and his
Inglis, John. “Islamic Medieval Philosophy.” ASI 111. Sears Recital Hall, University of Dayton. 15 October 2002.
Islam has a deep history, beginning with ideas originating before Muhammad and spanning to the present day. Before Islam, the Bedouin people’s faith contained a belief in supreme beings alongside animism. They also put a large emphasis on ancestor worship (Swartz 15). Some groups...
Depression is a psychological disease. It is one of the most common mental illnesses (Blais, et al., 2013). Depression was known since antiquity. Hippocrates diagnosed it in fourth century BC (McNamara and Horan, 1986). After World War II, depression was described as “aggression turned inward” (McNamara & Horan, 1986). Now there is Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, which is designed to evaluate how severe is depression (Gibbons et al., 2012).
Victor Frankenstein, the main character in Mary Shelley’s novel, is the creator of the monster. When Victor created the monster, he believed he created the monster for the betterment of humankind, but he actually created the monster because he desired to prove to the world that an average human can do Godly acts. The desire to create the monster goes back to Victor’s childhood. As a young kid, Victor’s passions always lied in science and chemistry and in college; he became obsessed with the idea of creating life out of inanimate objects. He then decided to specialize in Alchemy. Within Shelley’s book Frankenstein, Victor said:
Murata, Sachiko. "Sufi Teachings in Neo-Confucian Islam." Indiana University. N.p., 25 Apr. 2005. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
Thorne, D., & Journal, S. W. (1997, Oct 09). Depressed? reach out for help; SIGNS OF DEPRESSION. Edmonton Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/252468581?accountid=32521
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
Through the first person narrator, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates how man's imagination is capable of being so vivid that it profoundly affects people's lives. The manifestation of the narrator's imagination unconsciously plants seeds in his mind, and those seeds grow into an unmanageable situation for which there is no room for reason and which culminates in murder. The narrator takes care of an old man with whom the relationship is unclear, although the narrator's comment of "For his gold I had no desire" (Poe 34) lends itself to the fact that the old man may be a family member whose death would monetarily benefit the narrator. Moreover, the narrator also intimates a caring relationship when he says, "I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult" (34). The narrator's obsession with the old man's eye culminates in his own undoing as he is engulfed with internal conflict and his own transformation from confidence to guilt.
Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie relives the horrors of the Great Depression and the effects it had on many people's lives. The story is in many ways about the life of Tennessee Williams himself, as well as a play of fiction that he wrote. However, the story is based on Tennessee and his family's struggle to emotionally deal with the harsh realities that followed the crash of 1929 (807).
Ainsworth, Patricia. Understanding Depression-Understanding Health and Sickness Series. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2000.
1-Fakhry, Majid. Al-Farabi, founder of Islamic Neoplatonism : his life, works and influence, Oxford: Oneworld,c 2002. Print.
The popularization of Sufism as a common practice is controversial for a number of reasons. Objections by a number of theologians and jurists denouncing central aspects of Sufism are rooted in concerns regarding ideas about religious authority and unit.